Elon Musk Targets Fremont for First 1-Million-Unit Optimus Line, Eying 10-Million-Unit Giga Line

Elon Musk has put new, specific locations to his staggering production ambitions for the Optimus humanoid robot, identifying Fremont, California, as the site for the project's first high-volume manufacturing line.

In recent comments, the Tesla CEO stated the company is "starting with building a million unit production line in Fremont." He immediately followed this by outlining the next step: "And then a 10 million unit per year production line here on the gig," presumably referring to Giga Texas, where the remarks were made.

Musk's projections escalated from there, suggesting future lines could reach 100 million or "maybe even a billion a year," half-jokingly noting, "I don't know where we're going to put the 100 million unit production line. Maybe on Mars."

He explicitly tied this unprecedented scale to radical, utopian societal change. "People often talk about eliminating poverty, giving everyone amazing medical care," Musk said. "Well, there's actually only one way to do that. And that's with the Optimus Robot."

These comments add specific locations to a manufacturing plan Tesla has been signaling for months. During the company's Q3 2025 earnings call, Musk had already targeted a 1-million-unit annual rate and forecasted a long-term roadmap that included 10-million and 100-million-unit goals. The company officially confirmed it was installing its "first generation production lines" in its Q3 update, but this is the first time Fremont has been named as the initial "line one."

Musk also claimed this would be the "fastest production ramp of any large complex manufacturer product ever." This ambitious timeline is set against the backdrop of a production-intent "V3" prototype slated for a Q1 2026 reveal.

The primary hurdle, as Musk has repeatedly stated, remains the "immense" manufacturing challenge, particularly with a parts supply chain that is "non-existent." This has forced Tesla to vertically integrate and manufacture most components internally.

This manufacturing push runs parallel to rapid development on the robot's core technology. Board Chair Robyn Denholm recently claimed the robot can already fold laundry, a key dexterity challenge. On the software side, the robot's AI is being built on the same unified "world simulator" foundation as its Full Self-Driving vehicles.

While the 100-million or 1-billion-unit figures remain in the realm of long-term speculation, the designation of Fremont for the first 1-million-unit line provides the most concrete detail yet on where Tesla's humanoid production is set to begin.